- June 14, 2022 -
UPCOMING EVENTS
7/12/22
Acquisition Hour: The Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) and Wide Area Workflow (WAWF)
Webinar

7/13-14/22
16th Annual Wisconsin Government Opportunities Business Conference (GOBC)
7/27/22
Making Calculated Investments in Your Company’s Cybersecurity – Virtual
Webinar



8/9/22
Acquisition Hour: The Federal Spend to the End
Webinar
MYTH BUSTERS
MYTH:
 
Once my business has been certified, then the government will give me contracts.
 
REALITY:
 
Being certified does not guarantee a business will receive government contracts. Businesses still need to be responsive, responsible contractors offering the best solution at the best price. Certifications may offer a business a competitive advantage, as government procurement rules may favor businesses with those certifications. Small business set asides reduce the number of businesses eligible to respond to the government’s requirement– and decrease competition. 
 
Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI) staff provides assistance to businesses in preparing their certification packages and leveraging their certifications in the government market. Please contact WPI staff at 414-270-3600 or info@wispro.org
NEWS & UPDATES
DIBBS QUOTE FORM AND BATCH/EDI CHANGES

The following changes of the quote form and batch quote/EDI will be incorporated with the next release of DIBBS changes. It is anticipated this will occur no earlier than July 16, 2022. As the actual date becomes firm, it will be communicated.

Joint Venture
The ability to quote Joint Venture is no longer limited to a HUBZone set-aside. It applies to all set-asides when quoting as a small business. Fields 18 and 19 have been changed to accommodate this.

HUBZone Preference Indicator and Waiver of HUBZone Preference
When FAR 52.219-4 applies (an indicator is added to batch/EDI, field 57), the capability will be available to waive or not waive the HUBZone preference (field 58). This is only applies when the solicitation is Unrestricted and quoting as a HUBZone small business.

See link for the new batch quote instructions.

If you need assistance on this topic, please contact Marc Violante at marcv@wispro.org 920-456-9990
THE LINK - CONNECTING SUPPLIERS WITH DLA - ISSUE 24

Welcome to the 24th issue of "The Link" newsletter, a quarterly publication highlighting information important to our DLA suppliers.

The newsletter can be viewed at:

Articles in this issue:
  • Small Business Office Offers Training
  • DLA Industry Engagement Plan Refresh
  • DLA Land and Maritime Supplier Conference
  • DLA Energy Worldwide Energy Conference Postponed
  • DLA Energy Industry Connections
  • Transition from DUNS Number to UEI
  • DiBBS Post Award Requests Reason Codes
CLIMATE ACTION 2030 Department of the Navy

Climate change is one of the most destabilizing forces of our time, exacerbating other national security concerns and posing serious readiness challenges. Our naval forces, the United States Navy and Marine Corps, are in the crosshairs of the climate crisis: the threat increases instability and demands on our forces while simultaneously impacting our capacity to respond to those demands. It is because of this direct threat to mission that I chose climate as a focal point for my tenure as Secretary. While this reality is one that the Department of Navy (DON) has faced for some time, it is a reality that we face with new urgency and resolve. 
Senate Homeland Clears Bill to Avoid Conflicts of Interest in Federal Contracting

A hearing the committee held leading up to the bill’s markup focused on a shortage of procurement officials in the federal workforce, which an industry witness said could be addressed if it weren’t for inflexible ethics rules.

A bill that would require federal contractors to, among other things, continually disclose potential conflicts of interest passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Department of Defense Guidance on Inflation and Economic Price Adjustments

The current economic environment requires we understand the impacts of inflation to existing contracts and consider various approaches to manage risk of inflation to prospective Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. We acquire a wide range of goods and services to fulfill the Department’s mission requirements; inflation is impacting several segments of our economy in varying degrees. Against this backdrop, DoD contractors and contracting officers (COs) alike have expressed renewed interest in using economic price adjustment (EPA) clauses. This memorandum provides guidance to assist COs to understand whether it is appropriate to recognize cost increases due to inflation under existing contracts as well as offer considerations for the proper use of EPA when entering into new contracts. 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Work Plan for Fiscal 2022 Civil Works Appropriations

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) delivered to Congress its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) Work Plan for the Army Civil Works program on May 25, 2022.

On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103, of which Division D is the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022 (Act). Of the $8.3 billion in appropriations provided for the Army Civil Works program, approximately $7.9 billion is appropriated in five accounts: Investigations; Construction; Operation and Maintenance; Mississippi River and Tributaries; and the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).

The Joint Explanatory Statement – Division D report, Title I – Corps of Engineers – Civil, Department of the Army (Joint Explanatory Statement) that accompanies the Act allocates approximately $6.8 billion of the total for these five accounts to specific Programs, Projects and Activities (PPA).
HHS Establishes Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

The Health and Human Services secretary also appointed an acting deputy director to manage the office.

The Health and Human Services Department Thursday announced the formal launch of its Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H.
Emerging Capabilities Policy Office to Speed Policy Considerations of New Technologies

The speed of war is getting faster, with new capabilities, such as artificial intelligence, hypersonic technologies, and more, entering the services. 

A new Pentagon office seeks to do for policy what the research and acquisition communities have been doing in regard to new capabilities. 
DoD SBIR/STTR Programs Quarterly Review 

Message from the Small Business and Technology Partnerships Office Welcome Spring! This quarter’s newsletter includes program changes and updates, success stories, upcoming outreach events and more. Topic suggestions for the newsletter are encouraged – please email your ideas to osd.ncr.ousd-r-e-mbx.sbirsttroutreach@mail.mil.

The SBIR/STTR programs were established with the purpose of strengthening the role of innovative small business concerns in Federally-funded research and development (R&D). Since inception, SBIR in 1982 and STTR in 1992, the programs have demonstrated their success for DoD, which has been captured in an Economic Impact Study published in 2019, and available at https://www.sbir.gov/impact. 
Temporary Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Construction Materials  

U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a temporary waiver of Buy America requirements for construction materials on May 19, 2022 beginning on May 14, 2022 expiring on November 10, 2022 
Where exactly do most of federal contracting dollars actually go?

More than 25% of federal contracting dollars end up in one of six markets. That’s according to analysis by Bloomberg Government. For details and the opportunities they represent, we turn to the team lead for government contracting news and analysis, Amanda Allen joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
Congressional Research Service - U.S. Government Procurement and International Trade

COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that U.S. companies and the federal government rely heavily on global supply chains
Changes to watch in GSA’s Schedules program

The General Services Administration is still in the process of consolidating its Schedules program into a single procurement vehicle. And although it’s undoubtedly one of the biggest changes in the program’s history, there’s a lot else going on with the Schedules that vendors need to be paying attention to. To talk more about it, we’re joined by Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners.
GSA Strengthens Supply Chain with New Monitoring Process to Bolster Federal Marketplace

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) today announced progress in its ongoing efforts to strengthen the federal supply chain and reduce supply chain risk by using its Verified Products Portal (VPP) to monitor and remove products from unauthorized suppliers. Launched in 2020, the VPP is a manufacturer- and wholesaler-facing portal for authoritative product content such as standardized part numbers, product specifications, and supplier authorization information. Working with industry, GSA recently identified and removed approximately 75,000 items offered by unauthorized suppliers from GSA Advantage!® as part of a pilot test.
DBE REPORTER 

THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND EQUITY COMPLIANCE (OBOEC) is committed to developing DBE firm capacity and sustainability. In this issue, OBOEC will recap and highlight how the WisDOT DBE program is evolving to meet the challenges faced by highway contractors and DBE firms. In 2019, WisDOT introduced a new contracting program, Design-Build Program.
Top 100 changes show up in the numbers

Our annual rankings of the largest federal contractors show a market of continuous change as those companies evolve and adapt.

Washington Technology's annual Top 100 rankings measure more than just the prime contract dollars going to each individual company.

After taking a step back, you see rankings as a barometer for how the federal contracting market is changing and how companies are adapting.

Let’s first look at some of the numbers.
FEATURED EVENTS
 July 13-14, 2022
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Volk Field Air National Guard Base | Camp Douglas, WI 54618
 
 
DAY ONE – Grants and Funding
DAY TWO – Selling to the Government and Corporations
 
Registration now open! Updates the agenda and speakers to be posted soon at wigobc.org/
Upcoming WPI Office Hours
Click date to schedule an appointment or request more information
Camp Douglas
 
Fond du Lac
 
Green Bay

La Crosse

Ladysmith

 
Madison

Manitowoc

Oshkosh
OTHER NEWS
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  • Wisconsin Automation Implementation Grant Read more
WPI 10437 Innovation Dr. Suite 320, Milwaukee, WI 53226 414-270-3600
Newsletter Editor: Doug Clemons, dougc@wispro.org